Algae hieroglyphs what to do?

[Dbarr1575]

I have some interesting hieroglyphs on the rocks in my pond that I assume is algae. However, since all of my fish died I’m wondering if it is something else. It started with one or two rocks then spread everywhere. It wipes off easily and some has come back but other rocks have stayed clear.
In addition I was having low ph issues (around 6). Added baking soda and now ph is over 9! I’m not putting more fish in until I get things stabilized. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[j.w]

@Dbarr1575
No clue on what is on your rocks. Maybe some water critters slime trails where the algae then sticks to?

 

[Dbarr1575]

Well the pond is in a screen enclosure so not many pond critters. Plus it spread everywhere and got worse. I’m hoping someone in here has some ideas.

 

[GBBUDD]

My bet would be that it is bacteria and i would lean toward it is a good thing . you don't have a lot of bio film on your rocks so my guess is bacteria colonies

 

[Dbarr1575]

Ok. But if a good thing why did the fish die? Should I treat the pond?

 

[Lisak1]

Ok. But if a good thing why did the fish die? Should I treat the pond?

The two can be unrelated. What you're seeing on your rocks is perfectly normal - we get it all the time. It's algae.

We'd need a lot more information to determine why your fish died. Like - how many fish did you have? What kind and what size? How big is the pond? What type of filtration are you using? How long were the fish in the pond before they died? Were all the fish added at the same time? How did they act before they died? Any signs or symptoms you can recall? Did you or do you add any chemicals or treatments to the pond? Do you test the water on a regular basis? If so, what are you testing for and what are the readings?

You mentioned low pH - that alone could be the issue. But pH swings are also hard on fish so you want to be careful about how you're addressing that issue as well. Stable pH - even high or low - is better than constant swings.

 

[Dbarr1575]

Sorry I haven't responded, lost the link to the forum.

I have since taken apart the pond and am rebuilding it. Saved one of the fish, quarantined her and treated for parasites and other things, she almost died, but now is doing great. When I get the pond rebuilt I will put some feeder fish in to see how they do.

We removed all of the really small pea sized gravel and it was full of a lot of muck (even though I paid for a full clean out less than four months before this, so I'm thinking they did not remove the gravel as they said, no way four fish could have made this much of a mess). In this gravel we found a virtual ton of worms and also some snails, so I'm assuming they were responsible for the decorative hieroglyphics. I will be replacing this really small gravel with a larger gravel that will be easier to clean.

I once had 10 fish in my 250 gallon pond, but was down to four, then one. I wish now I had taken the four out of the pond, but I didn't have a big enough tank then. Now I do, so that once I restock I'll be able to take all of them out if I need to. I have 8 fish in the quarantine tank now. When I get ready to restock it should I put them in all at the same time or should I stagger them?

I'm still pretty new to ponds even though I've successfully had aquariums for many years. I think my issue was trusting a pond service that believes in the "all natural" method of pond keeping. They did not do water changes and barely maintained the filtration. I will be caring for the pond myself this time with regular maintenance, even bought a pond vac.

 

[poconojoe]

Sometimes with a fish pond, the less you do the better. Although I will say, the smaller the pond the harder it will be to keep things balanced. On that same thought, anything you try to do such as adjust Ph, it has to be done in very small increments at a time, especially since your pond is on the small side.
Cleaning your pond out is really not recommended unless you have a really gunked up smelly mess. By cleaning it out, you are removing a lot of beneficial bacteria which is necessary for it's natural cycle.
If you want, if things get bad, you can do a small percentage of a water change.
Adding chemicals is also not suggested. No algaecides or miracle snake oils. It's best to keep it natural. Plants and plenty of them are a good thing to add to keep things balanced.

 

[GBBUDD]

Unless your water is extreme acid or very soft trying to boost the ph and fluctuating usually does more harm then good . Stability is usually better then up and down all the time.

 

[Dbarr1575]

Sometimes with a fish pond, the less you do the better. Although I will say, the smaller the pond the harder it will be to keep things balanced. On that same thought, anything you try to do such as adjust Ph, it has to be done in very small increments at a time, especially since your pond is on the small side.
Cleaning your pond out is really not recommended unless you have a really gunked up smelly mess. By cleaning it out, you are removing a lot of beneficial bacteria which is necessary for it's natural cycle.
If you want, if things get bad, you can do a small percentage of a water change.
Adding chemicals is also not suggested. No algaecides or miracle snake oils. It's best to keep it natural. Plants and plenty of them are a good thing to add to keep things balanced.

Thank you so much for your reply. I guess I'm really confused because I tried the all natural thing and it did not really go very well. I guess I am trying to understand why regular water changes are a bad thing, but doing a once a year complete clean out is. I guess I thought doing small water changes and maintaining proper filtration maintenance would be a good thing. Right now, I am cleaning everything out, so I'll be starting over. I have tried pond plants, but have not had much success except for an iris and some elephant ear plants. I have one small lily pad type plant that's in a pot, but it struggles as well.

It does seem that there are two pond keeping camps, so I'm really confused on which is right. I just know that my pond was really disgusting when we cleaned it out.

 

[Dbarr1575]

Unless your water is extreme acid or very soft trying to boost the ph and fluctuating usually does more harm then good . Stability is usually better then up and down all the time.

I agree with that, won't try that again. I'm not fond of using any chemicals, except dechlorinator if I need to add water. I'm hoping that starting over this time will go better.

I'm researching again on the correct way to "set up" a pond and when to add fish. I was going to put a couple of feeder fish in to help stabilize the pond before putting any other fish in. Is this a good plan?

 

[GBBUDD]

yea it's one way . some would say let it sit on it's own for a year."I'm not that patient that's for sure. I bought cheaper fish the first year to cycle the pond with. problem was they all made it catching them was an other story to bring some of them back. adding beneficial bacteria to the pond is another sone would argue it's a waste of money but if its live you cant go wrong. I have seen drastic changes in the pond after adding Nualgae.

 

[GBBUDD]

but doing a once a year complete clean out is.

I'm not so sure on the once a year clean out if your pond iuis set up right and you learn its quirks what works and what doesn't then water changes clean outs can be avoided. now if you dont stay up on the leaves in the fall then yea a spring clean out is probably needed.

 

[Dbarr1575]

I don't have to worry about many leaves as the pond is in my screen enclosure, occasionally some fern leaves or nearby plants. There was mulch around the pond which I have since replaced with gravel.

I still have the same biological filtration I had in the lava rocks. That's why I kept the pond running while no fish in it. I am vacuuming the bottom one last time to get the rest of the "muck" that was on the bottom, then I'm putting the gravel back in. I'm using bigger gravel than the pea gravel that was in there. The new gravel will be about 1 inch size. I'll still be able to vacuum once a month to do small water changes.

I always thought the once a year clean out was a bit crazy, I'm hoping I don't have to do that anymore. This has not been fun at all, well the reset has been, kind of like art.

 

[JamieB]

Think of it as a really big aquarium. You want the pond to have established enough bacteria to deal with fish waste, and suddenly dumping in a lot of fish will cause a crash. Aquariums need regular water changes because we tend to keep too many fish with inadequate removal of waste, despite filtering. A planted tank tends to be more stable, and have lower nitrites, nitrates, etc. Look for plants that are well suited for that environment, temps, ph, etc. Just like you wouldn’t put tropical fish in a cold water tank, the plants need suitable conditions too. They also need fed, so read up on fertilizer tablets. It sounds like your Lilly is lacking something. Read up on what others in your area are putting in their ponds, and what they do for them.
Let your pond ph stabilize, then, since you have low ph, read how addy got hers where it needed to be, and stabilized. Give that a try, and see if it help. There are no quick permanent fixes, it takes time and work. Or you can find fish that like what you have naturally.